LOWELL, Mass. — Once again, Anton’s Cleaners writes, it has completed a wonderful and successful Belle of the Ball Boutique Day on April 7, 2018.
This year, the event moved to the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, a much larger space, where 1,000 girls were invited to participate who could not otherwise afford to attend their school’s prom.
Over 450 volunteers helped style these “Belles” into royalty for the day, helping them choose a free prom dress from the 7,000 dresses donated at a total of 72 Anton’s Cleaners, Enterprise Bank and Jordan Furniture locations in eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, it notes.
“Much like our successful Coats for Kids program, Belle of the Ball ensures no girl who needs a prom dress goes without one,” says Arthur Anton Jr., COO, Anton’s Cleaners and a founder of Belle of the Ball.
“Every high school girl should have the experience of feeling beautiful, inside and out, at their prom,” he says. “We couldn’t make these dreams come true without a legion of corporate partners, dress donors, and a giant team of loyal volunteers and supporters.”
Each girl received a free prom dress, and new coordinating shoes, jewelry, purses and a gift bags thanks to donations to Caring Partners Inc., a 501c3 tax-exempt organization based in Tewksbury, Mass.
The Boutique Day is comprised of volunteers, and is sponsored by the corporate partners as well as returning partners FOX25, The Bull 101.7, Kiss 108 FM, JAM’N 94.5, and Wicked Local.
Monetary and in-kind donations are still welcome to cover jewelry, makeup and other accessories and prom-related services for next year, visit the cleaners website to make a financial donation.
According to corporate partner Eliot Tatelman, president and CEO of Jordan’s Furniture, “We are happy to continue our support of Belle of the Ball, and invite our generous customers to bring their dresses and gowns to any one of our stores, and be part of this wonderful program.
“Attending Belle of the Ball is a highlight for me every year, and this year was bigger and better than ever before.”
Over the years, the cleaners notes, participants have reflected that it was a wonderful experience, not because of how they looked in their dress, but, because of the positive change in the way they felt about themselves.
Each donated dress was inspected and cleaned free of charge by Anton’s Cleaners. To date, nearly 5,000 girls have been outfitted since Belle of the Ball began in 2005.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].